Because my local water is very hard, I wanted to install a reverse osmosis system to I could roll my own instead of buying, buying, buying RO water.
One of our vendors here is Buckeye Hydro. I did some PM'ing with Russ about what I wanted to do--which is set up a system I could feed from my utility sink faucet and then feed directly into a water jug or brew kettle. Further, I wanted it to be portable such that if I needed to move it indoors to avoid freezing or avoid 100+ degree temps, I could do that.
Finally go to it this weekend. I bought the Premium RO system with a 50-gallon per day capacity, and Russ talked me through the fittings I needed to hook it up to my faucet (it has a garden-hose thread adapter on it).
I also bought a TDS meter so I could assess what I was getting, and a micro-ball valve for the output line, which I haven't installed yet.
Yesterday was brew day. Amazing results. I didn't expect to get 2 gallons per hour output because that's the expectation under ideal circumstances but I was close to it. I started out running the output line directly into my boil kettle first thing in the morning while I started setting everything else up, and doing tings like crushing grain.
The TDS meter showed between 5 and 7 ppm; I tested it in distilled water and it came back 0. The water before the RO process was in the 300-400 range.
I'm pleased because this produces water at a faster rate than I expected. If I had to do it over again I'd probably bump it up to 75 gallons per day or maybe 100. The price increase for that improved capacity is only about $8. It's doing exactly what I wanted it to do, but I could see an even faster rate saving me some time at some point.
I've attached a pic below showing how I installed it; the rag over the faucet is a "fix" for my garden hose adapter not being perfectly sealed and producing a fine spray. I'll try to fix that before my next brew day.
Right now I'm very pleased. It produces water at the rate I wanted, it was pretty easy to install (two screws on a piece of plywood screwed to the wall), and when I'm finished all the feed and waste lines coil up on the filter, out of the way. I have 11 gallons of RO water ready and waiting for my next brew day, and while that's in process I'll be refilling the containers to get ready for the next one.
The vent hole in the Aquatainer was 3/16"; the output tubing was 1/4". A little widening of the hole with a 1/4" drill bit and the output tubing is a perfect fit.
One of our vendors here is Buckeye Hydro. I did some PM'ing with Russ about what I wanted to do--which is set up a system I could feed from my utility sink faucet and then feed directly into a water jug or brew kettle. Further, I wanted it to be portable such that if I needed to move it indoors to avoid freezing or avoid 100+ degree temps, I could do that.
Finally go to it this weekend. I bought the Premium RO system with a 50-gallon per day capacity, and Russ talked me through the fittings I needed to hook it up to my faucet (it has a garden-hose thread adapter on it).
I also bought a TDS meter so I could assess what I was getting, and a micro-ball valve for the output line, which I haven't installed yet.
Yesterday was brew day. Amazing results. I didn't expect to get 2 gallons per hour output because that's the expectation under ideal circumstances but I was close to it. I started out running the output line directly into my boil kettle first thing in the morning while I started setting everything else up, and doing tings like crushing grain.
The TDS meter showed between 5 and 7 ppm; I tested it in distilled water and it came back 0. The water before the RO process was in the 300-400 range.
I'm pleased because this produces water at a faster rate than I expected. If I had to do it over again I'd probably bump it up to 75 gallons per day or maybe 100. The price increase for that improved capacity is only about $8. It's doing exactly what I wanted it to do, but I could see an even faster rate saving me some time at some point.
I've attached a pic below showing how I installed it; the rag over the faucet is a "fix" for my garden hose adapter not being perfectly sealed and producing a fine spray. I'll try to fix that before my next brew day.
Right now I'm very pleased. It produces water at the rate I wanted, it was pretty easy to install (two screws on a piece of plywood screwed to the wall), and when I'm finished all the feed and waste lines coil up on the filter, out of the way. I have 11 gallons of RO water ready and waiting for my next brew day, and while that's in process I'll be refilling the containers to get ready for the next one.
The vent hole in the Aquatainer was 3/16"; the output tubing was 1/4". A little widening of the hole with a 1/4" drill bit and the output tubing is a perfect fit.
